Forestry and wood products received significant attention in the plan. Forestry’s capacity to sequester carbon has great potential in both forest and urban settings. Warren Suchovski, owner of Suchovski Logging in Stephenson, Mich., is already working out some practices that may fit into the initiative.
Located in the heart of Michigan’s forestry country in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.), he is excited about the prospect of investments into systems that will use wood waste and fast-growing tree species like the hybrid aspen, which can be chipped and used to produce power.
For example, combined heat power (CHP) systems are an emerging opportunity for rural municipalities. The boiler system is powered using waste wood. Systems can provide both heat and electric for multiple buildings.
"Stephenson had the opportunity to install a CHP system that could have created energy for the school, senior center and an assisted living center. Unfortunately, they didn’t adopt it," Suchovski said. "It could have created a local outlet for a lot of small sawmills in the area to dispose of waste material."
Instead, he said the city continues to haul it away to other end users, sometimes at a distance of 100-plus miles round trip. In the past, much of the waste product ended up in landfills.
Tree plant species are experiencing the same northward migration seen in traditional row crops. In 20-30 years, Suchovski predicts black spruce, tamarac, jack pine and black cherry, now mainstays in the U.P., will move further north and be replaced by white pine, sugar maple and other species. "It is not going to happen overnight. It’s more like watching paint dry."
Marginal lands in the North Country that had once been cleared for farming but aren’t really suitable for growing crops could be brought back into production.
Nano-carbon technology is finding new ways to produce plastics from wood products. The materials created are being tested and used in building construction and automotive manufacturing. The technologies require some significant investment, but have great potential in creating long-term, industry-wide sustainability. "The technology is creating a product that is superior to steel that can be used in auto manufacturing," Suchovski said. "It is lighter and stronger and will decrease the weight of the vehicle which will improve mileage."
Refineries in some Scandinavian countries are converting a willow tree variety into bio-oil, which is used to make plastic currently manufactured with fossil fuels. "Wood is a very good building material and it leaves a much lower carbon footprint in producing it," he said. "This initiative has the potential to certainly create opportunity for loggers and sawmills. When we factor in the local distribution possibilities, the benefits, especially to rural communities, multiplies itself up the line. More opportunities at the production level lead to loggers needing another truck or piece of equipment. Then they need tires, repairs and more fuel. Everyone benefits."